There are two old monuments in Sonjuk-dong, Kaesong Municipality, which were built in the period of the feudal Joson dynasty (1392-1910).
The Phyochung Monuments, as they are called, are dedicated to Jong Mong Ju (1337-1392) who was murdered on Sonjuk Bridge for his unswerving loyalty to the Koryo dynasty.
The monuments stand facing east in a pavilion. Of them, the one in the north, 3.17 metres high, was built in 1740 during the reign of Yongjo, the 21st king of the feudal Joson dynasty who ruled between 1725 and 1776. And the other one in the south with a height of 3.58 metres was erected in 1872 at the order of Kojong, the 26th king who was on the throne between 1864 and 1907.
Both monuments have much in common with each other in composition–plinth, turtle-shaped pedestal, main body and head.
Each of the turtle-shaped pedestals is made with a monolith weighing over ten tons.
The epitaphs praise the loyalty of Jong Mong Ju.
One epitaph reads: “Jong Mong Ju’s sense of morality and loyalty will go down in history. His principles were as high as a mountain.” The other one says that “His undying loyalty and bedrock principles shine so brightly on the earth that the standards of morality remain sound in the country.”
The monuments were inscribed on the world heritage list in 2013.
Pak Ui Chol
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